Girls day out

What do 14 ladies do for two hours on a sunny but brisk October morning in Edgartown? They meet on the porch of the Harbor View Hotel and head into town to do what ladies do best — shop! With a mix of ages, 4 to 65, we had a variety of tastes to cover and an impending wedding that weekend. We also had some staples that needed to be purchased.

The kids wanted to start at Murdick’s Fudge and were even so adventuresome to try the white chocolate vanilla fudge, to the delight of their mothers (white chocolate is much easier to clean). Once their taste buds were satisfied, they were much more amenable to letting the adults shop to their hearts content.

Vineyard Vines was the first stop. With their great selection of new winter warmers, there were some very tough decisions being made. A jaunt across the park to Sheila AllenStyles, where everything is $25 or less, was the second most popular shop of the trip. Let’s just say this was a Mecca stop for these shoppers, with the dizzying array of sparkles and warmth. There were hair clips, sunglasses, necklaces (worn out of the shop), pashminas, and earrings bought for the weekend’s planned festivities.

No sooner had we exited then we were in Claudia’s jewelry store looking at charms, earrings, and a fabulous selection of hair clips. After, Aunt Alby went into Past & Presents across the street. She has an affinity for the antiques and was not disappointed with their two storefronts. Others were happy to peruse those same antiques as well as some new home goods that were necessary to take back in their suitcases. The embroidered linen napkins seemed to be a hot item, while I always love all of their serve ware.

Vintage Jewelry saw some velvet black gloves leave (to a Floridian who was not used to the cool fall weather) as well as some unique rubber stamps. There was also much appreciation for the charms and locally made candles. The kids loved In The Woods. The $3 knitted hats couldn’t be beat and they begged for the wooden toys.

We made it as far as Shirt Tales, which had a 50 percent off storewide sale. Let’s just say that even the window shoppers were buying. There were numerous Champion and Gear souvenir tee shirts bought and even more cozy Vineyard sweatshirts that seemed to be the staple for the rest of the weekend.

Finally, feeling shopped out, we headed back down the street to have lunch at the Atlantic Fish and Chop House. However, being typical women, we had to make a few more stops along the way. There were the travel shoes, in a metallic silver, that were a must-have for the bride and her honeymoon. The Black Dog was a true find for many seeking even more souvenirs in the shape of baseball hats for some of the gentlemen who were enjoying golf at Farm Neck.

Long story short, it was a great morning that brought numerous smiles and happiness to a group of appreciative ladies.